Friday, 17 June 2016

To Melbourne Airport the Cheap-Arse Way (2016 Update)

Here we go again! Every year the bigwigs at Melbourne Airport and Public Transport Victoria tinker with some aspect of the public transport options there, so I have to keep you up with developments.

So... it's time for another update to this blog's most popular post,
revealing how to get between the city centre and Melbourne Airport very cheaply on regular public transport.

Since the 2015 update some key factors have changed, including the fare to the airport (up) and the location of the airport bus stop (moved). So read on...

The
cost of getting to and from airports throughout the Western world can
be outrageously expensive, and Melbourne is not immune to this problem.

However... there is a way of getting to and from Melbourne Airport
cheaply.

So draw your chairs closer, lean in and discover how to save a tidy bit of cash.

For
the cheap-arses among us, there is a much cheaper way into the city
centre than the 20 minute $19 Skybus journey, though of course it takes
longer (about 60 to 70 minutes, depending on connections).

This is how it works...

To Melbourne Airport

From any station in Melbourne's central business district, catch a train along the Craigieburn line and alight at Broadmeadows Station (timetable here).

Step
straight out through the station to the bus bay which is just
to the right as you clear the building. Here you catch the 901 bus to Melbourne Airport, which leaves approximately every 15 minutes from about 5am to midnight (timetable here).

Note:
on Saturdays and Sundays the 901 bus departure intervals are every 30
minutes; and on Sundays the 901 operates from Broadmeadows from about
7am to 9.30pm.

It's important to note that 901 buses going the other direction to Frankston use the same stop, so
make sure the bus destination sign says 'Melbourne Airport'.

The
bus terminates at a new public transport
interchange on Grants Road, next to Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport. It's obviously a very handy stop for flights aboard Jetstar and Tigerair, the budget airlines serving Terminal 4.

For international flights and Virgin Australia domestic flights respectively, Terminals 2 and 3 are about 10 minutes walk away. For Qantas domestic flights, Terminal 1 is a 15 minute hike. Although there's shelter at most points of the walk, you might need an umbrella if caught in the rain on the wrong side of the road as you go.

Why it isn't
possible to have more than one bus stop in operation at the airport is one of the great mysteries of the universe, but that's a puzzle for another day.

From Melbourne Airport

You
need a Myki smartcard to travel on Melbourne's public transport, and to
get hold of one of these at the airport you have three choices.

1. The easiest option is to buy a card directly from the 901 bus driver,
who can also add credit to the card. The card costs $6 to purchase, and
on top of that a two-hour fare from the airport to the city centre (and
onwards to anywhere in Melbourne within the time limit) is $3.90.

All
buses should be equipped for this transaction, but if you strike a
bus where it isn't set up or the equipment isn't working, there are two other options.

2. You can instead buy a Myki Visitor Pack
from the Skybus ticket booths at the airport. Skybus is the premium
departs-every-ten-minutes airport bus which heads to the city centre for $19, so this approach may seem unintuitive.

However, you can get the pack from Skybus.
The $14 purchase price includes the standard $6 purchase price for the
card, plus $8 of travel credit on standard public transport (ie not
Skybus itself). That's more than enough to get to the city centre on a regular bus, then
travel onwards to anywhere in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

The
visitor pack also includes discount vouchers to major Melbourne
attractions and a decorative Myki card wallet, so that may add to the
incentive to pick one up.

3. The third option is to buy a Myki card from one of the three Myki ticket machines
located at the airport. These are located in the arrivals area of
Terminals 2, 3 and 4.

Again, the card itself costs $6 and
you top it up with credit; you'll need at least $4 credit to reach the
city centre and stay in the black.

The regular bus stop is within the new public transport
interchange on Grants Road, near Terminal 4 (so allow 15 minutes walk from Terminal 1, and 10 minutes walk from Terminals 2 and 3). Look for the orange-and-white
PTV sign inside the interchange.

Here you board the 901 bus to Frankston, which leaves approximately every 15 minutes from about 5am to midnight (timetable here).

Note:
on Saturdays and Sundays the 901 bus departure intervals are every 30
minutes; and on Sundays the 901 operates from the airport from about
6.30am to 9pm.

"Touch on" the card (as the jargon goes) against a Myki reader on board, and take a seat.

When the bus reaches Broadmeadows Station,
touch off the card, get out and walk into the station, touching on the card again. Take the underpass to Platform
1. From here a train will take you
straight to the city centre (timetable here).

Fares

The
Myki fare between the airport and city centre in either direction is a mere $3.90. This sum is automatically
subtracted from the card balance when you
touch off along the route.

This fare covers both of
Melbourne's fare zones, so includes all public transport for the
duration of the two hours. Hence you could transfer to another train, a
bus or a tram when you reach the city centre, to travel onward within
the same fare.

Give me credit

The catch is that you must buy a Myki card
for that non-refundable $6 purchase price; though of course
you'll be able to keep using it during your stay in Melbourne, and
retain it for use on any future visits.

To
top up the card's credit, the easiest method is to step into any of the
million or so 7-Eleven outlets in the city centre and ask the person behind
the counter to do it (it can also be topped up at train stations and at Myki machines at larger tram stops).

To work out how much credit you need during your visit, budget $7.80 per weekday (the capped daily fare)
and $6 per weekend day or public holiday. If you like, the 7-Eleven
staffer can alternatively add a pass to the card covering all travel over
seven days for $39.00.

Going a-Broady

Another
good thing about the 901+train option, is that it gets you straight
into the "being in Melbourne" vibe – you can eavesdrop on some
entertaining conversations on the train to/from Broady, which has a
reputation for being one of Melbourne's tougher suburbs.

Don't
let that put you off catching the train to/from Broadmeadows though, as
it's a staffed station. Do exercise reasonable vigilance however,
especially if travelling after dark.

Another catch is
that the train+bus option isn't really suitable for people with large
amounts of luggage; but if travelling with reasonably small and portable
gear, go for it.

Advertise!

Want to sponsor a blog post or place an ad on my blog? Click here to download a PDF with the details.

About this blog

Freelance travel writer Tim Richards travels the world - to write about it. Discover his current whereabouts as he covers travel, destinations, and the little quirks hidden in overlooked corners.(Updated weekly)

.

Follow Me:

About Me

I'm a freelance writer with published articles on various topics, including travel, lifestyle, the arts, science, and pets. My writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines and websites around the world. I'm also an author of guidebooks for Lonely Planet. You can see details of my published work at http://www.iwriter.com.au/